Henry Holland (played by Guinness) is a meek British bank clerk from Lavender Hill, a street in South London, who has masterminded a meticulous plan to steal gold bullion from his employers. However, he does not know how to smuggle the gold out of Britain. When Alfred, a foundry owner, becomes a new lodger at Henry’s boarding house, together they plan to use Alfred’s factory to melt the gold into innocuous souvenirs of the Eiffel Tower.